One thing I’ve learned after spending a week in Big Bear with three kids all under the age of 6 is that I don’t know shit about what it takes to be a mother. I thought that because I was raised by a single working mother of four, I understood and knew the struggles of […]

My abuelito was a world traveler. Before diabetes. Before the doctors amputated his leg. Before his heart attack. Mi abuelito was a photographer, a journalist, a businessman, un viajero. Every few years my abue would take his nietos to Mexico. My turn finally came the fall of ’96, the year before he passed away. I was […]

“Leaving my house now, will see you in a bit.” “What kind of car should I look out for?” I text him. “A wagon.” He replied. I stepped off the porch, and made my way out the front gate, my clogs crunching against the cement with each step. I made sure to wear my shortest […]

Like most kids growing up, Saturday mornings were my favorite day of the week. Sleeping in, watching cartoons, home-made breakfasts, I lived for Saturday mornings – except for those Saturday morning cleaning days, with the mami soundtracks, yeah, we’re not talking about those. I’m talking about spending quality time in the kitchen whipping up desayuno, […]

“Get your shifts covered this weekend.” He said. “I booked us a cabin at the Big Sur Inn. We can take my car.” He’d been trying to book us a cabin there for months, with no luck. That was just like him though, always planning stuff on a whim. I loved his spontaneity. There was […]